External HD vs internal HD speed performance

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External HD vs internal HD speed performance

Downsides?

silverbytes

1:23 pm on May 10, 2007 (gmt 0)

I have a big problem: my pc has only 1 hd (2 partitions of 20 gb each) I'm running out of space specially in C because that partition has the programs.

I don't want to install all again in a new bigger hd, so I prefer to add a new 80 gb or bigger hd and move some content there.

My main problem is that my actual C partition is only 20gb and I guess I can't do anything about it.

I knew about external hd that doesnt need acdc adaptator, and works just with an usb cable. Seems easier way to add another disk and move some files there.

But is an external hd a viable solution? Is it slower than a common internal hd?

Is there a way to move my C content including win xp SO to a new hd without reinstalling everything?

topr8

5:34 pm on May 10, 2007 (gmt 0)

i use a maxtor usb hard drive it is 120gigs and you really can't tell it isn't internal.

silverbytes

5:55 pm on May 10, 2007 (gmt 0)

What kind of data do you put there? just files or do you have programs or SO too?

topr8

10:45 pm on May 10, 2007 (gmt 0)

regular files and large image files that are worked on in photoshop.

no programes of any size. i believe firewire is slightly faster but usb2 seems fine to me

silverbytes

10:54 pm on May 10, 2007 (gmt 0)

Thanks. Any other thougts about it?

benevolent001

4:42 am on May 11, 2007 (gmt 0)

If you want to use new HDD as your main drive , i guess you can use disk imaging softwares to do some job for you

Just check it out

silverbytes

4:17 pm on May 11, 2007 (gmt 0)

I noticed that my C partition (SO and programs) is NTFS but my F partition (documents) is FAT32.

I've heard you can resize the partition in NTFS without formating or repartitioning, is that correct? If so, how?

In case I get a new hd, should I use NTFS even I don't put programs there?

jtara

4:39 pm on May 11, 2007 (gmt 0)

You can resize and most partitions in Windows or Linux using several popular disk backup/partition utilities. In most cases, these utilities boot from a floppy or CD and run under either DOS, a DOS clone, or Linux (loaded from the CD). Because Windows isn't running when you run the utility, it's possible to resize the system partition.

These utilities typically can't do this if you are using some kind of advanced volume management or RAID. No problem, though, for FAT, FAT32, NTFS, EXT2/3.

In most cases, the option exists to copy to a new hard drive while simultaneously resizing partitions.

In case I get a new hd, should I use NTFS even I don't put programs there?

I don't see any downside to using NTFS, and plenty of downside to using FAT32. NTFS is much more robust in the case of power or disk failure. The only good reason for not using NTFS is a need for a partition that can be read or written by some other OS that can't read NTFS. And those are becoming few and far between.

Citrus

10:04 pm on May 15, 2007 (gmt 0)

I can confirm that cloning onto a larger drive and the re-sizing the partitions using third party software has worked well for me more than once and provide an easy ,quick fix to a full hard drive.

silverbytes

12:01 am on May 17, 2007 (gmt 0)

Ok I got a new hd already. Now I have my old hd with 2 partitions: C has 20 gb with SO and programs and F with 20gb too and data. Moved data in F to new one.
Can I now "delete" the F partition to make C bigger (40gb)?
How?
Or is there a way to resize C partition having SO and programs installed?